Coming Soon: Rebirth at YouTube

It's been many years since I last posted here, but I have some great news for you - I will be opening a YouTube channel soon! Yes. It will be a channel that does a mixture of things - reviews, tips and tricks on android stuff, gadgets, etc. Watch this space!

Latest Minor ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 Update

ASUS has just released another minor update for the EEE Pad Transformer TF101 (9.2.1.27) - not much on the changelog mentioned other than "general performance and stability improvements". However, I did notice they fixed one very important thing (to me) - the wake on keyboard dock keypress now works if you disable the battery saving option in the ASUS Customized Setting section! 

Finally this works because since ICS was released on the TF101, this feature did NOT work at all! There were also reports that the Gmail app crashes less often with this update. So go ahead, hit that firmware update button already to grab this latest update!

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 9.2.1.24 Update Released

The ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 is getting another update, less than a month since the last update for the first generation EEE Pad Transformer and this time, it should (allegedly) fix the dreaded device restart bug (hopefully) and also includes the long awaited face-unlock feature!

Don't know what took ASUS so long to include the face unlock feature, but its finally here. The update is only up for the US and TW SKUs, so for the rest such as WW, DE and other SKUs have to wait just a wee bit longer. For everyone else, go ahead and hit that check firmware update in your settings > about tablet page to grab the update!

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 9.2.1.21 Update Rolling Out Now

ASUS has just released the EEE Pad Transformer TF101 firmware update for both TW and US SKUs (other SKU updates will be rolling out soon within the week or so) and among the more important bug fixes in this update is the dreaded random reboot bug that has been plaguing many TF101 owners including myself despite doing both hard and soft resets on the tablet.

Here's the changelog:

• Build number: 9.2.1.21-20120413
• Bluetooth updated: 8.30
• GPS updated: 6.9.12
• Wifi updated: 6.3.1.24
• Reset bug fixed. (Possibly)
• Performance and stability tweaks.
• File Manager zip extension support.
• Added 'Wifi Direct' setting for peer-to-peer networking.
• Stock browser 'Always request desktop site' setting option added.
• Stock browser 'Revert to last working state' app crash functionality added.
• Devicetracker.asus.com support. (Possibly region dependant)
• MyLibrary updated.
• AppBackup updated.
• Default email app updated.

So go ahead and check that update out! The bug fixes and especially the new file manager zip extension support is a much welcome addition, kudos to ASUS for doing a great job so far in keeping the TF101 up to date!

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 ICS Update For WW Region Released

After a slightly longer wait, the TF101 has finally gotten a new ICS update, few days after the US SKU got it - the WW SKU update is finally rolling out and it should fix some issues such as random reboots, volume issues and other tiny issues that have been plaguing TF101 ICS users since ICS was released to the first - generation EEE Pad Transformer late February. So go ahead and fire up that Settings > About Tablet > Check Firmware Update button and grab this latest update!

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 Receives Bug Fix Update For ICS Build

Hot off the ICS update that came for the TF101, many users have been experiencing numerous issues such as random reboots, battery drain and other various issues. ASUS today has just released a new update which should fix some of these issues and currently only the US SKU version has been released, other regions including Taiwan and the rest of the world (WW SKU) are set to be released sometime this week.

If your TF101 is from the US SKU region, head on over to the About tablet and check your firmware update to grab the latest update from ASUS.

Breaking News: Android Market Becomes Google Play Store!

Something big has just happened: Google has just renamed the Android Market to Google Play Store - a new Cloud Service platform which includes the original Android Market, Google Music and Google EBookStore!

Google Play is now a one stop shop destination for Android Apps, Music and EBooks - just like how the iTunes store is. Here are the "features" of the new Google Play:

• Store up to 20,000 songs for free and buy millions of new tracks
• Download more than 450,000 Android apps and games
• Browse the world’s largest selection of eBooks
• Rent thousands of your favorite movies, including new releases and HD titles

In the next few weeks, Google will be slowly rolling out changes to Google Play and depending on where you stay, you will see a different set of changes:

If you live in the US: you will get access to Android Apps & Games, movies, music and books

If you live in Canada and UK: you will get access to movies, books and Android Apps & Games

If you live in Australia: you will get access to Android Apps & Games and books

If you live in Japan: you will get access to movies and Android Apps & Games

If you live elsewhere: you will get access to just Android Apps & Games.

So that's about it. But Wait! No that's not all - with the launch of Google Play, Google is running a promotion called "7 days To Play" and again, depending on the region, you will get different sets of promotion. For example in the US you will get to purchase some full albums, movies, etc - for just 25 cents!

For the rest of the world, we get to purchase Android Apps for just 49 cents each! And these are not some run-over-the-mill apps or games - they are prominent titles such as Sprinkle, Shadowgun, World of Goo, Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (YES!), Dead Space and More!

The local Android Market app on your Android device will also soon be getting an upgrade to the Play Store - don't be surprised if you see the icon missing from your homescreen! The original Android Market icon has been removed and then replaced with a brand new awesome looking Play Store icon!

So what are you waiting for? Check out the Android Apps promo below and go grab what you want now!

49 Cents Apps Promo - Google Play Promo Site

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 Getting ICS Update NOW! Starting With Taiwan SKUs!

Good news to owners of the original EEE Pad Transformer TF101 (like myself) - ASUS has finally released the long-awaited ICS update for the TF101! Starting with those on Taiwan SKUs and it will slowly reach the other SKUs soon, within the week or so. Those of you with Taiwan SKUs just head on over to your Settings > About Tablet and check that firmware update and grab it now!

Update: WW and US SKU Updates Are Rolling Out NOW!!

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer Prime Gets Another OTA Update

The EEE Pad Transformer Prime is getting another OTA update today and the update claims to fix the reboot issues that some Prime users are facing and also comes with a new kernel and improvements to Wifi and GPS (again). Its actually good to see ASUS on top of things but hopefully this one will really be the last "fix" before they update the first gen EEE Pad Transformer.

You can grab the update from the usual place - in the settings page - about tablet.

OpenTyrian - That Awesome Vertical Shoot 'Em Up

For those of you who came from the good old DOS era like myself, you'll probably have heard of Tyrian - probably noted as the BEST vertical shoot 'em up game of the genre and it still is even now. Fast forward a couple of years, Pelyo - the genius behind the OpenTyrian port for Android - you can see from the screenshot above - it still looks just as awesome as you first played it many years ago.

In fact, I believe OpenTyrian is the BEST vertical shoot 'em up game for Android right now period. Even the likes of Sky Force or Sky Force reloaded from Infinite Dreams can't best this golden oldie. For those who have not played Tyrian you might be wondering - what's so great about this game? Firstly you get to play two major distinct modes - a Full Game mode and an Arcade mode.

In Full Game mode you get to customise and upgrade your ship to your fancy with different front guns, rear guns, shields, generators and side arms too. In Arcade mode on the other hand you pick up powerups that appear on screen to determine the type of weapons that gets equipped on your ship and picking up bubbles (if I recall correctly) to upgrade your weapons.

Besides these main features you obviously get to blast all sorts of different kinds of enemies and there's also bonus and secret levels to get to - you will definitely have plenty of fun! As you can see from the screenshot above, I managed to get OpenTyrian installed and working perfectly on my ASUS EEE Pad Transformer. What's not shown in the screenshot is that if you don't have a keyboard like my Transformer's keyboard dock, you'll get on-screen controls instead - so you can actually play this game on your phone if you fancy.

There are other configurable options too - you can use your accelerometer to play the game too if you like, again its all configurable once you launch OpenTyrian.

But the best way to play this game is still by using the keyboard and playing it on my EEE Pad Transformer with the keyboard dock is just awesome. You can customise the keys to your fancy or even enable auto-fire in the options menu so you don't have to keep pounding on the spacebar or your fire button to fire your primary weapon(s).

The best part of all - OpenTyrian is completely FREE so this is a game you MUST have in your Android device - so give it a try:

OpenTyrian (FREE) - Android Market

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 ICS Update Expected Around End Of Jan 2012 or Early Feb 2012

There were some initial rumours coming from ASUS Singapore that the original TF101 aka EEE Pad Transformer, would receive the ICS upgrade sometime today / tomorrow which got a lot of people happy including myself. But I was somewhat skeptical of this so I held back the announcement on the site until it is confirmed.

As expected, ASUS Singapore made a mistake and they issued the following statement instead:

[Correction] Dear all members, please kindly note that we have just received information from HQ that for TF101 update to ICS, as all has to be approved by Google, thus estimated availability to update to ICS will be around end of this month. Apologies for the error earlier. Thanks for your kind understanding.

This made a lot of people really upset of the original announcement but it is not surprising one bit as ASUS needs some time to properly prepare for the release. So to put it simply - you can probably expect the ICS update for the TF101 to come in anytime between end of this month or early February 2012. But don't get excited just yet - it might not come true again. We'll know within the next one or two weeks whether this date is accurate or otherwise. Stay tuned.

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer WIll Get ICS Shortly After Prime

The original ASUS EEE Pad Transformer TF101 is slated to get the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment sometime shortly after the new EEE Pad Transformer Prime TF201 gets its ICS upgrade according to ASUS. 

That means the expected release date is after January 12 and this is good news for those of you who own the original TF101 tablet like myself and we have been waiting very patiently for this new upgrade to arrive.

Lets hope this upgrade comes in before the end of the month (fingers crossed!). Here's some of the expected changes for the TF101 once it is upgraded to ICS:

• Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3
• 'Evolved' UI.
• Home screen sort apps folder feature.
• Lock screen actions.
• Improved spell checker.
• 'Open microphone' voice input.
• Dictation errors highlighted.
• Network data usage charts with customisable cut off and warning levels.
• Accessability tools for the visually impaired.
• Combined contacts app.
• Updated calendar app.
• 'Visual' voicemail.
• New transition effects.
• Picture edit feature in camera app.
• Faster camera image capture.
• Panorama camera capture.
• Face detection.
• Face recognition unlock feature.
• Redesigned picture gallery.
• Live video chat effects.
• Enhanced screenshot share feature.
• Enhanced browser page rendering.
• Saved page visual browser.
• Offline browsing mode.
• Improved email client.
• Email app support for EAS v14 certification.
• Wifi Direct support.
• Bluetooth Health Device Profile (HDP) support.

Create Custom Shortcuts With The ASUS EEE Pad Transformer Keyboard Dock [No Root Required!]

I just found a little secret hidden in HoneyComb that allows you to create custom keyboard shortcuts on the ASUS EEE Pad Transformer which should work on the upcoming Transformer Prime keyboard and possibly on other hardware keyboards like bluetooth keyboards just as long as your Tablet (or Phone) is running on HoneyComb and ICS (and has a Search hardware button like the one in the Transformer Keyboard dock)

No rooting is required at all. Continue to read on the article which contains screenshots of this hidden "activity" that allows you to do something powerful in HoneyComb.

ASUS EEE Pad Transformer Gets New Firmware Update

ASUS has just released a new update for the EEE Pad Transformer for the US, TW and TB SKU regions (Worldwide / WW SKU should be out soon). Some have mentioned this update fixes the major battery drain on the device and also has the following changelog:

• Build Number: 8.6.5.18-20111028
• Wifi updated 5.2.65
• Improved wifi connectivity.
• Fixed 8.6.5.13 mobile dock abnormal battery consumption issue.
• App Backup feature added.
• Netflix support. (US only)
• Google Books updated. (US only)
• Google Maps updated.
• Google Market updated with tablet friendly UI.
• Asus Sync option added to turn on/off Asus Sync, and fixed noticiation issues
• Email Client now supports .zip files.
• MyNet improved device search functionality.
• Improved browser compatibility.
• My Cloud bugs fixed.
• Italian input method added.
• Supernote bug fix and improvement.
• Polaris Office now supports large file loading, and improved compatibility.

You will notice there's a new netflix app out of the box for US peeps only and a new app backup application which allows you to backup your data to allow you to transfer from one transformer to another. We're assuming this app will be used to transfer your data from the EEE Pad Transformer to the new Transformer Prime tablet that is expected to launch soon. Good stuff from ASUS and they have proven so far to be one of the manufacturers to release updates on a very regular basis which is excellent news for consumers. 

You should be getting the OTA by now if your device is of US,TW and TB SKU's, if not, keep checking back - in your settings > about tablet > check updates.

Thanks Jim for the heads up!

Update: The WW sku update is now live! I'm receiving it as I write this out! You can go ahead and check your updates to grab it!

ShadowGun For Android Review

Shadowgun - Android's most anticipated 3rd person shooter game was released on the 26th Of October by Czech games developer - MADFINGER Games, the same developers that brought you Samurai II: Vengeance. The game sports mad visuals and a cover system just like the Gears Of War series - some have even said that this game looks and feels like Gears Of War. 

Currently ShadowGun is a Tegra 2 exclusive but will soon be released for non-tegra devices as well as the developers optimize it for non-tegra chipsets soon. Or you could sideload it and use ChainFire 3D to play the game on your non-tegra device. 

This review covers the game's graphics, gameplay, AI and control mechanics. Check out the full review of the game after the jump.